


stopover

by Domoz



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 08:03:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16384334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Domoz/pseuds/Domoz
Summary: A short drabble about a conversation that maybe could have happened(Or, thinking, generally, about how involved Ral Zarek is with Bolas)





	stopover

**Author's Note:**

> Snoot beta'd this

Jace wasn’t entirely certain himself why he had come to stand here, high up in a spire, outside of the door to a lab that he knew he wasn’t going to be welcome in. Well, he knew  _ why _ , but he came knowing full well that it wouldn’t result in anything as cathartic as he was hoping. Still, he came -- he felt he owed the man inside that much.

He had meant to come to talk to Niv Mizzet, but hadn’t yet figured out how to explain his situation before he arrived and his pacing took him around the towers until he ended up at this door. It wasn’t labeled and it seemed to be - purposefully - in an out of the way part of the building, but Jace knew full well who was inside, and also knew full well that said person wouldn’t care to see him.

He knocked on the door as loudly as he dared and was echoed back with the ever-annoyed voice of Ral Zarek, “It’s open.”

Jace pushed the door open as noiselessly as he could. Ral’s lab looked as though it was in the midst of some kind of reorganization, though Jace suspected it always did. Ral himself was elbows-deep into some bulky looking construct - inelegant on the outside, but a peek into the open panel revealed a complicated system of wires and transistors that would put even some of the most clever inventors on Kaladesh to shame. 

It took him a long moment to look up, expression remaining irritated when he realized who his visitor was.

“You’re back.” His voice was flat, clearly unimpressed, but his eyes swept up and down, obviously noting that in the months he had been gone Jace was looking, for once, physically fit. And tan.

Jace nodded, shoulders tensing. “I wanted to come and apologize.”

“For what, exactly?”

It wasn’t really a question. Ral was willing to wait as long as it took before the anxiety made Jace spell it out himself.

“For leaving so soon after you told me not to. And for being gone for so long.”

Ral snorted, thoroughly unimpressed.

“What are you apologizing to me for? You should be apologizing to the whole plane - you know, the one whose balance depends on you being here to keep order?”

Jace winced. Ral’s dislike of him as the Guildpact had been made abundantly clear by now, and it seemed that every time they met Jace only gave him more reason to feel that way.

“Can’t I apologize to both?”

“I don’t know how the rest of the plane feels about it, but I don’t have to accept it.”

Jace opened and closed his mouth. He had really hoped for a better reaction but it was pretty much what he deserved. “I suppose that’s fair. You wouldn’t be the only one.”

Jace stood there for another minute of silence as Ral ignored him. He was half-expecting Ral to ask where he had been, but Ral didn’t bite and deliberately ignored him in favor of whatever it was he was working on.

He wanted to explain, wanted so badly for Ral to see that he wasn’t just shirking his duties for vacations out to other planes. Given the chance, he would tell the whole story,, but Ral didn’t seem to care. Jace imagined that to Ral it would all sound like hollow excuses anyways. Ahmonkhet and his subsequent stranding in Ixalan could have all been avoided had he hadn’t left in the first place  - at least that’s what he was sure Ral would say.

He wasn’t even so sure why exactly it was he craved Zarek’s approval so much, but he wanted it badly enough that he had come all the way here. 

But the silence dragged on and on, and it seemed that Jace’s chances of salvaging this were growing smaller and smaller as the seconds ticked by.

Eventually, Jace heaved a sigh. He could at least try and get something worthwhile out of this visit.

“Have you... Ever heard of Nicol Bolas?”

Ral actually did pause, forehead creasing as he looked up - his surface thoughts were strangely blank.

“I’ve heard the name in passing.”

He had a slight frown. Maybe he was trying to remember where he had heard it, or maybe he was all too familiar with the name, but curious as he was Jace didn’t delve any deeper into his thoughts.

He looked away, eyes landing on a map of Ravnica that was pinned to the wall. He was still formulating his plan, still so unsure of who could be in league with Bolas and who could be trusted. Ral Zarek had never talked much to Jace about himself, or about any of the other planes he might have visited. As far as the other walkers he knew, aside from himself, Jace hadn’t the faintest clue who Ral might associate himself with. Him being in league with Bolas was unlikely, but it was better to be safe than sorry for now.

“Well if... If you meet him or someone who’s working with him, just… Be cautious alright? He’s no good for anyone who gets involved with him.“

Ral blinked, shrugged, and sounding as disinterested as he had when Jace had first come in.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

There was another long pause as Jace’s anxiety built. It didn’t seem like he had impressed the severity of Bolas onto Ral but he wasn’t certain how much more he should be divulging. For that matter, it seemed that Ral didn't want to hear any of it. Before he could right his own thoughts, Ral looked up again and shot a glare at him.

“Don’t you have some paperwork you should be catching up on,  _ Guildpact?” _

He said that last word with venom, and Jace’s shoulders slumped. He nodded in agreement

“I do. I guess… I’ll be going.”

 

 

Ral kept his hands in the tangles of wire until enough time had passed that Jace had to have left the building, then slammed the panel shut with a sigh. 

He had already thought that Beleren had been out of his depth as the Guildpact. If he was getting caught up with Bolas, then he was getting caught up in another league of trouble entirely.

He had hoped, in the days to come, that he would be able to get what he wanted from the dragon and never hear from him again, but if he had a history with Jace and Jace was acting like  _ that _ ...

Sweeping the schematics he had been working from moments ago aside he rolled out another set of paper in front of him and started writing. He would have his work cut out for him if what he thought was going to happen was about to, that was for certain.


End file.
